With the holidays fast approaching, students find their way back home by accessing travel sites for cheap fare rates.
Cheaptickets.com, expedia.com and travelocity.com are among the search engines for finding airline tickets for the various airline agencies, offering discounted airfare.
These sites seek the lowest in airfare from select airline agencies that permit these sites to sell seats.
However, the best fares for the frugal may be found by getting discounted tickets directly through the airline company.
The possibilities of traveling to the East Coast for Thanksgiving to see family is getting very slim for students like sophomore undeclared major Anique Guerrier and William Catlett, junior broadcasting and radio major, who has searched similar travel sites like Orbitz.com.
“It’s too expensive,” Guerrier said.
Guerrier has done as much as to purchase raffle tickets during the University’s Homecoming game.
Winners were given a pair of airline tickets, courtesy of Southwest Airlines.
“It was my only chance,” she said, although her efforts were unsuccessful.
According to Jet Blue airlines, a University favorite, its mission has been “set out to bring humanity back to air travel and to make flying more enjoyable.”
JetBlue offers leather seats and live, satellite television with DirecTV programming.
Like many airlines, Jet Blue offers discounted fares for customers who purchase their tickets directly through the company over the Internet.
One disadvantage to Jet Blue is its select flight schedule in distinct cities and states, limited to Boston, Long Beach, Washington, D.C., Florida, New York and Vermont.
The price of a ticket from Los Angeles to New York ranges between $250 and $300 and to Florida, an additional $100.
“It’s different now,” said Philip Hofer, director of the international and study abroad center, an avid traveler.
He said traveling arrangements used to be made in person through a travel agent; however, in a computer savvy community, plans can be arranged via the Internet.
Hofer has found STAtravel.com to be useful for students looking to travel overseas during the holiday season. Justfares.com is his personal favorite, a site on which he made plans for numerous trips, including a journey to Argentina and Ecuador this holiday.
“A ticket to Quito used to cost $600, and now tickets are between $750 to $800,” he said. “They used to be better.”
Hofer also said an international student recently purchased a ticket to the same destination for close to $1,000.
Advice4thenet.com gives tips to finding cheap airline tickets. In addition to planning ahead and being flexible with departure times, the site advises travelers to begin flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays and from alternative airports within driving distance.
Want to get away? Southwest Airlines asks its customers this question in its current campaign that encourages customers to visit its site southwest.com for discounted rates exclusively offered through its company.
From promotional to special, “fun” fares customers have the options of purchasing between seven to 14 days in advance.
Hofer said that he has had luck purchasing airline tickets directly through the company, but does not express much confidence in finding a deal this holiday.
“They are quite as plentiful,” he said.
While most airlines sell their tickets as discounted fares, one-way, “weekend excursions” and other alternatives may reduce the fare more considerably.
Planning early and acting fast is key to finding the best deal. The important advice pertaining to obtaining the cheapest tickets was to act fast. The cheapest tickets sell the quickest.
Adrianna Gardner can be reached at agardner@ulv.edu.